There's Only So Much Time
by MoonlightSpirit
Summary: Takes place after The Last Day. When Damon's werewolf bite is finally noticed, Stefan leaves to find a cure. Elena knows that Damon's days are numbered and she tells him how she really feels about him. But as their love blooms, the bite worsens.


**So who else was in tears by the end of tonight's episode? 'Cause I bawled like a freaking baby. I mean damn…it feels like Damon is my brother or something and dying, I have to keep telling myself he's a fictional character. He's just written so well that you get an emotional attachment to him. I don't want Damon to die :( I actually already did a Delena fanfic with this song, but looks like I'm doing it again. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries.**

It was over.

Well, kind of.

Sure, Klaus had been defeated. And everyone had lived. But as soon as one threat was gone, another arose.

It had been Stefan who saw it first. A part of Damon's sleeve had torn during the fight and revealed the festering wound of the wolf bite.

A moment of celebration turned cold as everyone stared at Damon in horror.

And now, Stefan had gone off somewhere with Tyler and Jules in search of a cure. Yes, after saving her, they had gained Jules trust.

Damon hated being the one that needed saving, but with every second he could feel his strength draining away.

And he did want to live.

_If you're not home, I'll sit here on your doorstep_

_Button up my coat and wait_

He had watched Stefan and Elena talk before Stefan left with Tyler and Jules. Damon had been sitting on the steps of the Salvatore boarding house. Caroline was inside, helping Aunt Jenna come to terms with becoming a vampire. It bugged Damon how he could barely hear their conversation inside the house when usual, it would be as clear as if they were standing right next to him. Now all he heard were distant hums, almost illegible.

When Elena finally walked over to Damon, she motioned for him to follow her.

_We'll go upstairs, close the curtains and we're all set_

_To pick up where we left again_

She led him upstairs, to his room. She closed the curtains to the grand windows then walked over to wear he stood near his bed. She took his arm in her hands, examining the wound. Damon couldn't help but realize that they had been in a similar position here earlier that day.

The wound wasn't as bad as Rose's. Just a small, dark mark on Damon's pale skin.

_There's question marks hanging over us_

_But we won't give the time of day, oh_

"A-Are you going to die?" Elena stammered. Damon shrugged.

"Probably," he said. He felt Elena's hands shake as she held his arms and noticed tears slide down her cheeks.

"You can't," Elena whispered. Damon placed his free hand over hers. She finally looked up at him. How could he look so calm when he was so close to death?

"You can't die Damon," she said, "I…" her mouth hung open for a moment, as if debating whether or not to let the next words pass by her lips.

"I love you," she finally chocked out, "I love you and I'm so sorry it took me so long. After the battle, when I saw the bite…I felt like I could have died Damon. _You _were dying and you would have never known I felt about you. I told Stefan, before he left. I don't think he was too happy about it, but he understood-" Damon put a finger to Elena's lips to stop her babbling. He leaned forward and kissed away the tears on her cheeks.

"I love you Elena," he whispered and Elena knew she should have been overjoyed at the proclamation and she was, but deep down she knew they didn't have a lot of time left. She had seen what the werewolf bite did to Rose. Damon wasn't quite there yet and maybe that was because his wound was smaller, but eventually he would give in to the illness, the dementia…

'_Cause all we got is these few stolen seconds_

_And we can't let them go to waste_

"Then let's not waste any time," she said and a second later, their lips collided with one another, passionate and desperate and hungry.

_The stars collide_

_We've come back to life_

_We've come back to life_

_The sparks will fly_

_One look in your eyes, my heart's opened wide, I know_

_Time's running out now_

_But we'll hope that the sun somehow_

_See the sky_

_We've still got tonight, we've still got tonight_

Damon awoke the next morning to a burning pain in his arm. He bit back a hiss of pain, taking a deep breath. Something warm shifted in his arms. Elena. Her naked body pressed against his and he smiled and the memory of last night.

_Come 9 am, I'll pack another suitcase_

_Leave you in your bed so warm_

He glanced at the clock on the wall. It was only 9 am and last night, they must have gotten in at almost 4 in the morning.

That's when Damon remembered what woke him up in the first place and he looked down at his arm.

The bite was worse now. An angry red color and practically sizzling.

Not wanting Elena to see it and worry, Damon slid out of bed as quietly as he could to get dressed. The room tilted to the side and he swayed a bit, leaning on a bedpost.

But before he could move again, he felt Elena's hand grab his wrist.

_I'll do my best not to wake you, but it's useless_

_Can't tiptoe 'round this no more_

_It's gonna get much harder, before it gets better baby, that's for sure_

_Mmm,_

_Just say you'll wait for my footsteps on the staircase_

_And I will walk back through this door_

"Where are you going?" she mumbled.

"Shower," Damon said quickly, kissing her forehead, "I'll be right back." But it was too late. Elena's eyes fell on the wound and she sat up suddenly.

"It's worse," she mumbled. She looked at his face and noticed that it was considerably paler than usual. Damon gently cupped her cheek in his hand.

"I'll be fine Katherine," he said. Elena's eyes snapped up into his crystal blue ones. But Damon's eyes looked odd, as if he wasn't all there.

"Damon, I'm Elena," she said softly. Damon blinked a few times and smiled.

"I know, that's what I said," he said, "Now get some sleep, you had a rough night."

"Stay with me," Elena pleaded, not wanting Damon out of her sight. It was obvious that the bite was worsening.

Damon complied, climbing back into bed with Elena, holding her tight in his arms.

_The stars collide_

_We've come back to life, we've come back to life_

_The sparks will fly_

_One look in your eyes, my heart's open wide, I know_

_Time's running out now, but we hope that the sun somehow_

_See the sky_

_We've still got tonight, we've still got tonight_

At some point, Elena had fallen asleep again. When she opened her eyes, she saw Damon looking at her, but that odd look in his eyes were back. Like he was looking at her, but not seeing _her_.

"You slept for so long Katherine," he said, his voice soft. Elena felt tears spring to her eyes.

"I think you took a bit too much blood this time," he chuckled, brushing a hand along his throat, "I'm so tired." Damon's eyelids dropped and Elena panicked.

_So keep your eyes open, there's no time to close them_

_Just hold on, so tight now, we've still got tonight_

_We've still got tonight, we've still got tonight_

"Damon, open your eyes," Elena said, her voice nearly hysterical. Damon's eyes snapped open, looking normal again.

"Are you okay Elena?" he asked, "You're crying."

She was losing him. Damon was really dying. Where was Stefan with that cure?

_If all we got is these few stolen seconds, we can't let them go to waste_

_The stars collide_

_We've come back to life, we've come back to life_

_The sparks will fly_

_One look in your eyes, my heart's open wide, I know_

_Time's running out now, but we'll hope that the sun somehow_

_See the sky_

_We've still got tonight, we've still got tonight_

_We've still got tonight, we've still got tonight_

"I've never seen you cry Katherine," Damon said and Elena's tears fell freely, "What is wrong my love?" Elena wrapped her arms around Damon.

"I love you Damon," she said into his neck, "I love you and I'm not ready to let you go. Not after all we've been through. You can't give into this. You're stronger than it Damon. Fight it, please. Just until Stefan gets back." Damon pulled back a bit and stared at Elena, as if not really recognizing her.

"K-Kath…Elena," he said, taking in a deep shuddering breath.

"It'll be okay," Elena said, stroking his face gently, "Stefan will come back and it'll be okay."

But Elena wasn't sure that she even believed her own words.

"If my brother caught us like this Katherine, he would surely kill me," Damon chuckled against her neck. Before she could respond, Damon fell asleep and she soon followed suit.

A piercing scream woke her again. Damon laid next to her, thrashing in pain, his screams echoing in the large room.

"Damon! Damon!" Elena said, grabbing his shoulders.

"Kill me Elena!" he shouted, his face contorted in pain, "Just kill me!"

"No," Elena said firmly, her heart wrenching at his suggestion. She wrapped her arms around him, whispering softly in his ear. Eventually, his thrashing died down, but she felt him still shaking, his strong arms wrapping tight around her.

"What's happening to me?" Damon asked and Elena could have sworn that she heard tears in his voice.

Where was Stefan with that cure? Each second he was gone was a second closer to Damon's death.

**Yup, I teared up writing this. I still can't believe Damon got bitten. He has to live, there's no way they'd kill off Damon, he brings way too much to the show. Also I find it interesting that, judging by Rose's reaction and the summary for the last episode, _As I Lay Dying_, a werewolf bite seems to make vampires relive past events. I dunno, I just found that really cool.**

**And also, poor Aunt Jenna! I don't even know where to start with her. She just got introduced to this world and now she's a vampire! And I have the horrible feeling she may die :( Although seriously, how badass would Aunt Jenna look all vamped out? I have a feeling that, give her a few years, and she'd be a kickass vampire.**

**And then there's Klaus. The vampire who is so badass, he doesn't need to do that whole "pop-out-of-no-where-and-scare-the-crap-out-of-you" thing that most vampires do. He just chills until someone notices him there and the camera slowly pans over to him and you're just like, "Dude, when did you walk in?" instead of, "WTF? WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?" I love how casually he just introduced himself to Alaric and Damon. But really, the dude scares me, I've already had nightmares about him (and in the nightmares, I was Elena, so of course that wasn't fun. Although in one nightmare, I did get to make-out with Damon ;)**

**Anyways, there's **_**There's Only So Much Time**_**. I hope you liked it! Please Review!**


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